


Back to School

by merry_amelie



Series: Academic Arcadia [149]
Category: Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace
Genre: Alternate Reality, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-09-06
Updated: 2009-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-07 20:02:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,061
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4276143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_amelie/pseuds/merry_amelie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian and Quinn prepare for the semester.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Back to School

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback: Is treasured at merryamelie@aol.com (or leave a comment).
> 
> Disclaimer: Mr. Lucas owns everything Star Wars. I'm not making any money.
> 
> For  
> My beta team: Nerowill, Emila-Wan, and Carol  
> Mali Wane for posting  
> My former betas: Alex, Ula, and Padawan Sue
> 
> Aaron Bernstein was introduced in [A Place at the Table](http://archiveofourown.org/works/4209198).
> 
> For Janet

Quinn gave a silent cheer.  
  
He sat back in his chair while he pressed 'Send' on his last e-mail as the summer advisor for the English department. Now he'd have to switch gears and become the coordinator of the 101 courses on essay writing, while preparing to teach a graduate class on Shakespeare's comedies.  
  
So little downtime this year.  
  
Just as he picked up his textbook, his e-mail chimed again. Ah, finally a letter he was happy to see. Aaron Bernstein, a former student who had spent Thanksgiving with the clan at Alder Run last year, had sent Quinn his new address at Oberjin, where he'd transferred after his parents had disowned him for being gay. He was delighted to be living with his aunt and uncle off-campus.  
  
Though glad Aaron was safe and happy, Quinn couldn't help but wish the Bernsteins would come around soon. He knew what it was like to be estranged from family, and his empathy kicked in hard for Aaron. If he had been Aaron's age when he'd come out, not only would he have been thrown out by his parents, but his Aunt Maureen and Uncle Sean wouldn't have given him shelter, either.  
  
Quinn smiled when he saw Aaron had sent a copy to Ian. He and his lad had written letters of recommendation to Oberjin on Aaron's behalf, and this was the best outcome they could have hoped for under the circumstances.  
  
A sound at the door like a foot tapping startled him out of his reverie. He'd kept it closed so he could get some work done without constant interruptions, especially from Case and his secretary. After all, his office hours didn't start until Tuesday. He rose to see who it was...  
  
...and got an unexpected treat when Ian came in with two milkshakes from Rissian's, their favorite eatery in the student center. Quinn had thought Ian would spend the evening in the manuscript section of the library. His laddie handed him an Oreo shake and kept a vanilla malted for himself. Just the sweet treats they needed about now.  
  
"They kicked me out at seven," Ian groused. "Something about steaming the carpet for the kids."  
  
Quinn sighed. "They could have put up a sign."  
  
Ian let out a hmph of frustration. "That would've been too considerate."  
  
Ian sat on Quinn's desk and slurped his shake, while Quinn drank his more slowly. Both wore Skyhawks t-shirts and jeans, holding onto summertime as long as possible. Ian's legs dangled off the desk and his left knee brushed Quinn's arm as he drummed on a drawer with his sneakers.  
  
Quinn loved these boyish quirks he alone got to see, and was sure Ian played them up for his benefit. The sweet gleam in his lad's eye gave him away every time.  
  
He summarized Aaron's e-mail for a sympathetic Ian. "I'll never forget what Aaron told me before he left for Ohio." Quinn smiled up at his laddie. "He said we give him hope."  
  
Ian's eyes closed under the weight of emotion. "Oh, Quinn. That's wonderful."  
  
Quinn patted his thigh in perfect understanding.  
  
Ian opened his eyes to grin at him. "Remind me of Aaron the next time I gripe about teaching extra sections, okay?"  
  
"Will do," Quinn said, raising his shake in salute.  
  
"How's it going, love?" Ian asked, waving his hand over the desk, at the stacks of paper ready to tumble into his lap.  
  
"Sure you want to get me started?" At Ian's indulgent nod, Quinn went on. "When you came in, I was just about to begin my lecture notes for 101, even though I'm still wrangling with the "As You Like It" glosses." Quinn sighed in frustration.  
  
Ian gripped his shoulder with a free hand. "Not quite 'as you like it' yet, huh?"  
  
Quinn snorted, his lips quirking up. "You're revving up for the semester, aren't you?"  
  
"These puns don't write themselves, you know," said Ian with a wink.  
  
"So you're actually taking the blame?" Quinn winked back.  
  
"Well, I *am* knee-deep in my "Knickerbocker Tales" prep." Ian couldn't resist rubbing Quinn's arm again with his knee in tactile emphasis. "That would make anyone punchy."  
  
It was easy to overlook even the worst of Ian's quips when he was so playful, so Quinn just sat back and enjoyed his shake, lulled by Ian's massage of his forearm.  
  
But Ian grew more ambitious. He swung his leg to reach Quinn's thigh with his calf, rasping over the extra-long jeans.  
  
Before Quinn could react to Ian's multi-faceted teasing, he reluctantly moved his leg out of range. "Buachaill!" (lad) he chided.  
  
Ian immediately backed off. He'd known he was pushing the limits they'd set for their office behavior. Quinn was just so tempting that it was hard for Ian to keep to their agreement. He itched to negotiate a new one, but Quinn had the upper hand in all things diplomatic. Ian knew he still had much to learn.  
  
As always, Quinn was proud of his laddie. He respected Quinn's boundaries and tried not to push too hard. Since he was by nature irrepressibly demonstrative, this was something of a miracle, especially when they were in private. If Ian hadn't had to contend with being gay in his formative years, he would be a quintessential extrovert, Quinn wagered.  
  
He gave Ian a chocolatey grin full of understanding and swirled his shake with the straw. "Have you set your office hours yet?"  
  
"I was thinking Monday/Thursday 5th period." Ian took another sip. "Sound good to you?"  
  
Quinn consulted his PDA, looking for conflicting classes and meetings. "If y'can make it 6th, it'd be perfect."  
  
"Done," Ian said and high-fived his husband with a hand cool from his cup.  
  
They preferred to hold joint office hours for convenience, as well as for crushing student crushes. Their system had worked beautifully for the last five and a half years, and now they were on for this semester as well.  
  
Quinn finished his shake with a gulp. "Ready to get going?"  
  
Ian resisted the almost overwhelming temptation to lick off Quinn's chocolate mustache, tilting his cup back to get the last drop instead. He held out his hand for Quinn's cup and stacked it with his, then threw them away for a two-point basket.  
  
Quinn hit the lights, and they headed out into the warm August evening.


End file.
